


The Spirit's Eve Maze

by TheShinyShovel



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Gen, Halloween, Spirit's Eve (Stardew Valley)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-16 17:00:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29703708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheShinyShovel/pseuds/TheShinyShovel
Summary: Despite her favourite season being fall, Abigail's never been a big fan of Spirit's Eve. But...if can't handle some dumb little maze, she'll never be able to go into the mines. What happens when Abigail goes into the maze alone?[based off of Abigail's Spirit's Eve dialogue]
Relationships: Abigail & Female Player (Stardew Valley), Abigail & Sam & Sebastian (Stardew Valley), Abigail/Female Player (Stardew Valley)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 18





	The Spirit's Eve Maze

Abigail’s typical excuse for not going to Pelican Town’s Spirit’s Eve celebrations was that she, out of the goodness of her heart, would stay home and restock the shelves in her father’s store. Or that she wasn't feeling well, if the shelves were full. Unfortunately, it seemed her parents were getting better at seeing through her white lies or that they thought Abigail was going to wander off somewhere a “respectable young lady” shouldn’t be going. It was likely the latter when her father caught her in a graveyard last summer with a spirit board. Either way, Abigail was pretty much forced to go to this year’s Spirit’s Eve event. It wasn’t all bad, of course. Jack-o-lanterns lined the streets and buffet tables, Sam and Sebastian were close by, and the pumpkin ale was plentiful, if she got there before the saloon dwellers did and her parents didn’t see her. She was of age now, it’s just…her parents tended to forget that she wasn’t in high school anymore.

Perhaps if she was lucky, she and her friends could sneak past the crowd and off to the abandoned farm to the west of town…scratch that. Abigail had forgotten it was occupied now. Some city girl took over the run-down cottage and overgrown land that used to be a farm before Abigail was born. She hadn’t really seen the Farmer much around town – which Abigail supposed made sense. After all, her father never shut up talking about how the fall was the busiest season for farmers. For someone who wasn’t a farmer, Pierre talked an awful lot about them.

Unfortunately, the spirits didn’t offer their condolences this evening. Not only was she stuck being at the town’s little reverie, Sam and Sebastian actually wanted to stick around instead of going somewhere that was anywhere but here.

“C’mon Abby, it’ll be fun.” Sam clapped her on the shoulder, munching on the last of his maple bar. “Some guy helped make a giant maze this year.”

“He’s a wizard, not just ‘some guy,’” Sebastian cleared his throat, “not that I believe in any of that crap.”

“I do. I poked around right before you got here.” Sam said as he brushed his glaze-covered fingers on his jeans, “I’m pretty sure I saw something _moving_ in the maze.”

“Probably robots.” Sebastian shrugged.

“Ugh, can’t I have a little fun?” Sam groaned.

“Whatever,” Abigail said, “Anyway, can you guys distract my mom for a minute? I’m going to go get something to drink—”

That’s when Abigail noticed she was standing right in front of the maze, along with some of the other townsfolk. She had been so lost in thought that she hadn’t paid attention to where her feet had taken her. A cool late-autumn breeze ruffled Abigail’s purple hair and gave her a sudden chill. Was it just the wind? Maybe she really should have listened to her mother and brought a jacket…

“…earth to Abby!” Sam waved a hand in front of her face, “Are you going in or not?”

“You and Seb go ahead.” I’m…I’m gonna go get something to drink first.”

“You sure?” Sam’s voice softened slightly. He wasn’t always a space cadet.

“I’m fine!” Abigail brushed him off, plastering a fake grin on her face. “I’ll probably clear the maze before you!”

Sam snorted. “Alright. See you later.”

Abigail watched her two friends walk straight into the maze of deep-green hedges that had somehow been set up on the edge of town. Magic indeed. Her feet didn’t move from their place on the cobblestone despite the fact that she really did want something to drink (the pumpkin ale was most definitely gone by now), or at least a maple bar like Sam’s. Instead, she continued to stare into the inky blackness of a maze that had swallowed her two best friends whole.

If she couldn’t handle a pansy little maze, then she’d never handle the mines on the mountain just outside of town. Abigail took one step forward, and then another. And another…until she was at the entrance of the maze. One more step, and then she was actually inside.

It took a moment for Abigail’s eyes to adjust to the lower light of the maze as she moved farther away from the lanterns at the entrance. It was quiet too, just the ruffling of hedge-leaves accompanying her unsettled stomach. Something brushed against Abigail’s leg, and she jumped. A large green hand wriggled from the ground, in a way a hand should never be able to move. That must’ve been the “robots” the guys had mentioned earlier. Certainly not robotic to her eyes, but clearly harmless. Looking ahead, Abigail could just make out several more lining the leafy corridor.

No sounds of Sam jumping from behind a hedge corner, no low rumble of Sebastian’s voice telling Sam to knock it off. They couldn’t have been _that_ far in yet. “Guess I’m going the right way,” Abigail mumbled to herself.

And apparently she was. Abigail had run into only one dead-end since she got past the hands, and only one other person. By some miracle, it was Penny, whom Abigail thought would’ve considered butterflies nightmare fuel. Penny was kneeling in front of some cauldron with a bubbling and frothing green mixture.

“Penny?” Abigail whispered.

Penny didn’t respond.

Abigail repeated herself, this time poking the young tutor’s shoulder. Penny shuddered with a jolt and looked up at Abigail.

“Wh-where am I?”

“You’re in the Spirit's Eve maze.”

“Oh!...right. I remember now.”

“Have you seen anyone else here yet?”

Penny shook her head, frowning, “I might have, but I think this cauldron’s messing with my head. I should go home.”

Abigail pointed towards the path she entered, “the entrance’s that way.”

“Thank you.” Penny got up from the ground, and quickly left the small clearing, not daring to look in the cauldron. Abigail didn’t dare get any closer to the cauldron either. But unlike Penny, she chose a different corridor and continued her quest.

The maze was still void of human voices or jump-scares, and Abigail was starting to think she was the only person who had made it this far in the maze. She wondered if Sam had already tried pushing through the hedges in a dead-end yet. Jack-o-lanterns carved with contorted faces lined the fountain clearing. By the size of this clearing and how long she’d been in here, Abigail assumed she was in the centre, perhaps a little over halfway through the maze. Besides the path she just used to get here, there were three corridors to choose from. Dark clouds in the sky above started to smother out the stars, so Abigail decided to take the path directly in front of her. She swore she could see a bit of light coming from that way.

One minute into walking the path, Abigail found the biggest reason why she didn’t want to come out for Spirit’s Eve. Stifling a scream, Abigail ran back to the fountain.

Spiders. S.p.i.d.e.r.s. Abigail hated spiders. Why did Spirit’s Eve always have to be associated with spiders? She wasn’t sure when it started or where it came from, but arachnids always sent more than a shiver down Abigail’s spine. She scooped cold fountain water in her cupped hands and splashed it on her face in an attempt to sober up. It didn’t work. Gasping for air, Abigail leaned on the edge of the fountain and hoped nothing but her reflection was in the dark waters.

“Abigail?” a soft voice said to her left.

Abigail yelped, nearly falling into the fountain from the surprise.

“What was that for!?” Abigail fumed, turning to the voice.

“I…I didn’t mean to scare you,” the mezzo voice shrank in on itself even more, the person it belonged to taking a step back.

It was the Farmer. Abigail didn’t see her much, only when she came into her father’s store for seeds and fertilizer. She was usually in overalls caked in dirt and smelling like manure. Tonight though, the Farmer looked like she actually had taken a bath before being out in public for once, and she was wearing a maroon polar fleece, baggy tan jeans, and a pine green tuque. A little ghost had been painted on her cheek, and Abigail faintly remembered seeing someone (Leah maybe?) running a face-painting booth near her father’s shop stand. If you hadn’t known it, you’d think the Farmer had lived here for a lot longer than just this past spring. In fact, she definitely looked more at home in Pelican Town than Abigail ever had or felt. A pang of jealousy coursed through Abigail’s veins, but she ignored it.

“It’s alright.”

“You looked very frightened.”

_Shit_ , Abigail thought, _She saw me freak out_. “I’m fine.”

“We can go together, if you want.” The Farmer cracked a small, gentle smile and held out her hand.

Abigail froze, looking the young woman in the eyes. The Farmer’s were as green as her hat. She hadn’t spoken much to the Farmer – in fact, Abigail usually hid in the back room of the store when she could hear the young woman’s heavy boots stomp against the welcome mat in an effort to avoid tracking mud in. What was she avoiding, anyway?

Hoping the Farmer hadn’t noticed her initial hesitancy, Abigail reached out for the Farmer’s hand. The Farmer’s rough, callusing hand gently closed on hers.

“Which way should we go first?” The Farmer asked.

Abigail chewed her lip. She just _knew_ the path she’d ran away from was the way to the maze end (and prize). “That one” Abigail pointed with her free hand to the path her gut knew was right.

“Okay. Let’s go.”

The two young women headed for the path, Abigail praying to something she didn’t believe in so that her legs wouldn’t suddenly turn into jelly. As they approached what Abigail knew was coming, the Farmer squeezed her hand. It was a welcome pressure. Nothing painful, just an extra reminder that she wasn’t alone this time.

The Farmer led the way. Abigail just looked straight down at the ground, hoping her companion wouldn’t be able to feel her racing heartbeat through her skin. It didn’t take long for Abigail’s curiosity to dare a peek. She peeled her eyes away from the ground and forced them to look up. Paper-mache spiders of all sizes and levels of hairiness surrounded her, and that was all Abigail’s mind could take. It was a start. She looked back down at her moving feet, feeling like she was actually floating and not walking, that the feet were not hers. The Farmer continued to lead the way.

Neither of them spoke for some time, though Abigail wasn’t exactly in the right mindset to keep track of it anyway. Eventually, the Farmer stopped in her tracks, Abigail so lost in thought she nearly bumped into her.

“We made it.” The Farmer said, a little more pep in her voice.

Abigail looked up. Behind here was the hedge corridor they had just exited, and just ahead of them was the abandoned community centre. A large basket with an inexplicably shiny pumpkin sat right at their feet.

“We…we won!” Abigail grinned, the images of giant spiders washing away from her mind.

The Farmer cleared her throat. “Um, one of us has to carry the pumpkin back.”

That was when Abigail noticed she was still holding the Farmer’s hand, her grip a little too tight for comfort. “Oh!” She quickly let go, a warm, blushy feeling spreading from her cheeks outwards.

“Don’t worry, I can handle it.” The Farmer picked up the basket with ease. “I’ve got a lot of practice now.”

“Growing pumpkins on the farm?”

The Farmer nodded. “Yes, mostly done for the season, but there’s still a few left.”

“Mind if I stop by to see them soon?”

“Not at all. Come by sometime in the next couple days.”

Abigail and the Farmer walked back towards the Spirit’s Eve celebration, prize and newfound friendship in tow.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope I was able to catch Abigail, Sam, and Sebastian's personalities in this. Thank you so much for reading! :)


End file.
